A homegrown Lehigh Valley company that was the first to develop a key diagnostic test used globally today had the opportunity to share its history and innovation with the greater Lehigh Valley life sciences community.
About 60 company leaders, vendors, and their partners gathered at OraSure Technologies Inc. on June 26 for an evening of networking organized by Life Sciences Pennsylvania. 
Life Sciences Pennsylvania is the statewide trade association representing companies in the biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device, and diagnostic industries, along with companies in related fields and research institutions.
With more than 900 members, the association holds events across the state to bring people together to informally share information and build relationships that can help companies to innovate and grow.
OraSure Technologies, Inc. President and CEO Carrie Eglinton Manner welcomed the group and thanked Life Sciences Pennsylvania for being a partner. She showcased what OraSure does in the Opus Way facility, including the production of point-of-need and self-diagnostic tests for HIV, Hepatitis C, and COVID-19.
OraSure offered tours of the facility so its partners in the life sciences community could see operations including the highly automated production lines. Eglinton Manner explained how the company has also been in-sourcing manufacturing of its sample management solutions from Canada over the past 18 months to its South Bethlehem facility.
“Innovation is thriving across the greater Lehigh Valley, and we're thrilled to be part of it. Hosting last week’s Connect@ event was an incredible opportunity to bring the community together, meet other trailblazers, and showcase our leading-edge facility,” Eglinton Manner said.
Christopher Molineaux, President & CEO of Life Sciences Pennsylvania, welcomed the guests and shared how the organization is working to create opportunities for them to succeed.
OraSure is one of the global brands that are the pillars of Lehigh Valley’s rapidly expanding life sciences economy, which has grown by about 50% over the last decade.
The Lehigh Valley is home to more than 170 life sciences business establishments – manufacturing facilities, labs, research centers, offices, and distribution centers – that employ more than 6,000 people.
They include global brands such as OraSure, B. Braun, Olympus, Sharp, and Thermo Fisher Scientific, along with emerging startups such as Thread Bioscience and Ilico Genetics.
One recent addition is Gesellschaft für Micronisierung mbH (GfM), a German company that is establishing its U.S. headquarters in Bethlehem. GfM specializes in micronization of pharmaceutical, food, nutritional, and cosmetic ingredients. The project will bring up to 100 jobs.
Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) was one of the sponsors of the Life Sciences Pennsylvania event at OraSure.
“Life sciences is one of the sectors that LVEDC is targeting for growth, and it is important to partner with organizations such as Life Sciences Pennsylvania to bring leaders together so they can share ideas,” said Kristin Cahayla-Hoffman, LVEDC’s Vice President of Business Development and Attraction.
OraSure Technologies, Inc. grew out of the forerunner to the current Ben Franklin TechVentures business incubator. It now has multiple locations in the Lehigh Valley and beyond, including the production facility that expanded several years ago in Bethlehem Township, where the Life Sciences Pennsylvania event was held.
The event provided OraSure a platform to highlight the company’s innovation, including its development of the first in-home oral HIV test for over-the-counter use.
Last year, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro came to OraSure to announce the state’s first strategic plan for economic development in nearly two decades. In his proposed budget for fiscal year 2025-26, Shapiro is proposing to invest $65 million more for innovation, including $30 million for life sciences through coordination with research universities to help companies bring new technologies to market.